A Community We Support: San Cristóbal
Background
The Feed the Hungry San Miguel kitchen in the community of San Cristóbal has been in operation since 2001. During school year 2023-2024, 57 children at the Constitución de 1857 primaria (elementary school) and 22 children at the Niños Héroes kinder (preschool) will receive a nutritious hot meal every school day. Our hydration program also provides clean water in large refillable jugs for the children in the classrooms and for food preparation in the school kitchen.
Location Statistics
The community is located 37 kilometers from the Feed the Hungry Center. The most recent INEGI census (2020) reported a San Cristóbal population of 245 men, women, and children, residing in 63 households. Children 14 years of age and younger made up 29% of the population, and 29% were elderly (over 60). Among adults, the illiteracy rate was 9% and the average level of schooling completed was less than 7 years.
Nutrition Report School Year 2022-2023
For the latest Nutrition Report, staff nutritionists assessed as many of the students as were present through height, weight, and body fat measurements. They now also record cases where the children are “at risk” of becoming overweight because they close to the range for that category.
Kinder: 15 Students
None of the kinder students measured were found to be underweight. However, clinical signs such as dry skin, dry hair, and tooth decay and missing teeth were evident, which are related to low consumption of foods of high biological value, such as vegetables and fruits.
Interviewing the children, we learned that they are most likely to consume processed foods with high levels of sugar at breakfast, such as cereals and processed pastries.
| Condition | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Obese | 0% |
| Overweight | 7% |
| At risk of overweight | 20% |
| Normal | 73% |
| Light underweight | 0% |
| Moderate underweight | 0% |
| Severe underweigh | 0% |
Since this is the first measurement taken in the kindergarten, we hope to see a positive trend when the next assessment is conducted.
Primaria: 57 Students
This group also described their breakfasts as consisting of processed foods rich in sugar, such as boxed cereals, pastries, and sweet bread. Therefore, the marked tendency to overweight is attributed to the consumption of these foods, as well as to the lack of nutritional information provided by parents.
We were pleased to see that fewer children were underweight. And although there were fewer children diagnosed as obese, there were more at risk of trending in that direction. We will continue to adapt the menus for these students as necessary. Strategies have also been implemented to increase the nutritional education of parents with cooking workshops and presentations on healthy eating.
Health Assessment Results 2022-2023 vs 2021-2022
| Condition | School Year 2022-2023 | School Year 2021-2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Obese | 2% | 25% |
| Overweight | 16% | 14% |
| Risk of overweight | 14% | 0% |
| Normal | 66% | 47% |
| Light underweight | 2% | 14% |
| Moderate underweight | 0% | 0% |
| Severe underweigh | 0% | 0% |
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